Vboxmanage clonehd on GUI

[fsr3791]

0%...10%...20%...30%...40%...50%...60%...70%...80%...90%...100%
Clone hard disk created in format 'VDI'. UUID: 53f56a1f-865e-47e1-93d8-ff1c30c59aad

...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...zzzzzzz...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

Hi there,

I'd like to propose the inclusion of Vboxmanage clonehd on GUI. This has always been a very slow operation, and currently, I find myself using ProcessExplorer to monitor what is going on... with a 15GB machine, progress from 0% to 10% takes FOREVER, if host HDD is fragmented performance is even worst, and if by acident I/you shutdown the cmd.exe window... I/you will discover, a few hours later, that no clone was created. Bugger ! This is a Vboxmanage feature I (like many others I think) use a lot, so I think this could be a new feature for the GUI, and if a progress bar is also provided (with estimate time of completion?, please?), it would be perfect...


Thoughts ?

[TerryE]

if host HDD is fragmented ...

Then defragment your HDD. You've really got no excuse. NT file performance rapidly collapses as the NTFS defrags. A healthy defragged disk should run at 20Mb/sec or 1.2Gb/min minimumm or just over 10 mins for a 15Gb virtual HD. Though I agree a GUI based clone would be nice but not essential. Extra 1% dots would help as well.

[fsr3791]

if host HDD is fragmented ...

Then defragment your HDD. You've really got no excuse. NT file performance rapidly collapses as the NTFS defrags. A healthy defragged disk should run at 20Mb/sec or 1.2Gb/min minimumm or just over 10 mins for a 15Gb virtual HD. Though I agree a GUI based clone would be nice but not essential. Extra 1% dots would help as well.

IF, I said IF...
I'm aware of that problem so I always defragment before cloning. This feature takes a long time (meaning: not immediate), I keep forgeting I'm cloning, 10 mins maybe but depending on HDD speed (as you know). Extra 1% dots would help... well I vote for GUI, this is not a very advanced feature, it's very much straightforward and it's a very popular feature, so I keep my GUI request.

Though I agree a GUI based clone would be nice but not essential.

TerryE, I'm no developer, but small details do make a difference. Don't underestimate GUI POWER, the average user (me included, and I write small scripts all the time) doesn't feel as confortable as you with the DOS window.

[TerryE]

the average user (me included, and I write small scripts all the time) doesn't feel as comfortable as you with the DOS window.

Actually I think that the DOS window sucks! Fixed 80 col width; crappy cut and paste, ... Give a a proper terminal session any day

[fsr3791]

Actually I think that the DOS window sucks!

That's my point. "Let's" put this on GUI, this is already built-in so it's hardly major work, a simple clone button and a progress bar on Virtual Media Manager will do... for all the windozes out there.

[eFloh]

see here: http://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?t=12812

[fsr3791]

eFloh,

Thanks a lot !!!

I am amazed to discover that a similar request was posted more than 2 years ago... I wonder what's keeping Sun ?!? This is already built-in, so what's the problem ?

About your *.exe: is it "portable" or does it require install ?

[justyn]

Is this feature (cloning a disk from within the GUI) available in VirtualBox 3?

[TerryE]

No, not yet.